


Aradia Megido: Ghost Whisperer

by mathes0n



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Homestuck Stabdads, F/F, F/M, Ghost Whisperer AU, Humanstuck, M/M, Mentions of Death, Multi, also this entire fanfic was written on impulse because i love Aradia, everyone is mentally ill and gay so jot that down, mentions of abuse, will add warnings as they appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-22 10:15:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11965311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mathes0n/pseuds/mathes0n
Summary: “Ever since a near death experience as a child, I’ve had the ability to see ghosts. From that moment on, I’ve decided to use this gift to speak to the spirits of the dead...”Aradia has a gift.And a YouTube series.





	1. Episode 4: Echoes at the English Estate (Part 1)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! And welcome to my Aradia fanfiction because wowza do I love her
> 
> First off, I'd like to cast a GRAND thank you to my amazing best buddy and pal looneymoon(.tumblr.com) who did such a lovely job of editing this impulse fic of mine. If you enjoy this fanfic, then keep in mind that she did a LOT of work making it all come together nicely
> 
> Also, no ships are tagged as I post this (since they won't be relevant until both characters show up; I'd hate for someone to find my fic in their favorite ship tag only for one of the characters to not be introduced yet) but I might as well give a quick list of some of the prominent ships you may see in the future chapters (assuming I get that far, god bless):
> 
> Aradia/Terezi, Dave/Karkat, Sollux/Feferi/Nepeta (fef is poly), Tavros/Equius
> 
> Anywho, I kept you all for long enough. I hope you enjoy the first few chapters! They're pretty short, but I hope that they get the job done! (The job being entertaining you, the Audience)

* * *

 

** Chapter 1 **

_Episode 4: Echoes at the English Estate_

_Part 1_

* * *

 

 

“Whatever you do, do _not_ tell Aradia about this-”

“Tell Aradia about what?”

Both boys froze when Aradia’s voice cut in. She beamed at them innocently, though not without pride at having caught them and the ever-present glimmer of mischief.

“N-nothing!” Tavros blurted. Guilt radiated off of him. “We were just talking about… talking about...“

“Your birthday present?” Sollux offered. Tavros nodded feverishly.

Aradia rose an eyebrow, smile unchanging. “Five months in advance?”

They stilled. In their moment of panic, Aradia stepped forward. Sollux slammed his laptop shut, but it was too late. She had seen everything.

“No _way_ !” Aradia gasped ecstatically. “Let me see! Let me _see_!”

Tavros and Sollux shared defeated looks. With a groan, Sollux slid the computer over to her. Aradia wasted no time opening it and reading over the email hungrily.

“I can't believe it,” she murmured. “We got a _job offer._ ”

“You mean _you_ got a job offer!” Sollux narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

“ _I_ got a job offer,” Aradia corrected, sounding no less enchanted than before. She read it over and over, her grin only widening as she absorbed every detail. “A haunted house… it’s _perfect_...“

Tavros scooted forward and grabbed her shoulder, snapping her out of her trance. “It’s, uh, also an hour away? And none of us can drive, so…”

Aradia stopped to consider that. For a blissful moment, it seemed as though she was going to surrender. Before Tavros had the chance to sigh in relief, Aradia snapped her fingers with renowned energy.

“Karkat!” She exclaimed, looking back to her two roommates with a grin. “He knows how to drive! And he owns his dad’s pickup truck now!”

Sollux scoffed, rolling his eyes (though no one could tell because of his glasses, so it was more for himself than anything). “You’d have more luck talking KK into eating his own foot than convincing him to go to a haunted house.” _Especially with you_ , he almost added, but bit his tongue.

“But he _did say_ that he was looking to earn some money this summer,” she said eagerly, already pulling her phone from her pocket. “If I pay him for gas and food and then some, then maybe he’ll agree… it can’t hurt to ask, right?”

Aradia looked up to smile at her friends, but frowned in confusion when she saw the looks on their faces. Tavros’ eyes were fixed on the ground as he bit at his lip and twisted his hands together. Sollux, on the other hand, glared straight at Aradia.

“What?” She asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“Uh, this is a bad idea?” Tavros suggested meekly. He quickly added, “L-Like, look, Aradia, I know you’re really into ghosts and stuff, and you’re really passionate about it and that’s not a bad thing, but like… but like…”

“Travelling out of the city on a whim because a stranger sent you an email is a fucking death wish,” Sollux interjected, earning a grateful look from Tavros.

Aradia looked surprised, as though she hadn’t even considered what they were telling her. She bit the inside of her cheek as she turned back to the email. For a few moments, she remained quiet, her lips pursed in thought.

“...I have to at least _try_ ,” she finally said, causing Sollux to groan loudly.

“Fine! _Fine_!” He exclaimed, standing up suddenly; Tavros let out a startled peep that went ignored. “Go and get kidnapped if you want! But don’t think you’re dragging me along!”

He stormed away, his words punctuated with the sound of the slamming door. Tavros looked at Aradia nervously.

“I… Aradia, I’m not sure if…”

“I’m sorry, Tav.” Her voice was gentle. “I know it’s stupid. There’s a million ways it could go wrong…” She spun to face him, eyes bright with intensity. “But I’ve got a _feeling_ about this one! This is what I made my show for!”

Tavros’s surprise changed to sympathy.

“It’s… it’s okay, Aradia. I know this stuff is… really important to you.” He wrung his hands together nervously. “I just… want you to be careful.”

“I will, Tav, I will,” Aradia promised, forwarding the email to herself as she spoke. “Trust me, I’m going to do _plenty_ of research on this guy before I go see him. Sure, it might be a big hoax and I’m going to end up with egg on my face, but who am I if I don’t take the risk?”

“Not Aradia, that’s for sure,” Tavros murmured, with a touch of fondness.

Aradia closed Sollux’s laptop and stood up. “Well, I better get going. Got lots of plans to put together! Want me to pick up a pizza on my way home?”

Tavros shrugged, and Aradia ruffled his hair before dashing out the door. Once she was gone, he let out a deep sigh.

_I’ve got a bad feeling about this._


	2. Episode 4: Echoes at the English Estate (Part 2)

* * *

 

** Chapter 2 **

_ Echoes at the English Estate _

_ Part 2 _

* * *

 

 

“Look, Aradia’s here!”

Aradia smiled at her friends’ greetings as she navigated through the forest, just barely avoiding getting her jacket caught on a branch.

“Good afternoon!” She called back. “Sorry I’ve been so scarce. Finals were especially tough.”

“Oh, poor thing,” one of them sympathized.

Abruptly, another jumped up and asked, “Were you able to take care of my garden?!”

“Of course! I check on it every other day! And let me just say, Jake, the pumpkins are growing  _ fabulously _ .” Jake looked physically relieved. He sunk to the ground, and the other three followed suit as Aradia seated herself in front of them.

A tall lanky woman leaned forward, grinning widely, “What brings you to our neck of the woods, ol’ sport? I can see the adventure in your eyes!”

Aradia grinned back and clapped her hands together. “You guys won’t believe it; I got a job offer!”

“What!” All four of them looked impressed, and surprised to a certain degree. 

The lanky woman laughed. “Well, it’s about damn time, if you ask me! How much are you making?”

“What  _ is  _ the job?” Asked the shorter, chubbier woman, looking intrigued.

Aradia told them about the email in detail. Her excitement seemed to be infectious, as most of them seemed more and more delighted with every word she spoke.

Most of them.

“Mm. Yeah.” One of them narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses. “Sounds shady as fuck.”

The lanky girl scoffed quietly, giving him an elbow to the side. “Jesus Christ, Dirk, lighten up. Can’t you just be excited for once?”

“No, no, he’s right,” Aradia nodded vigorously. “It sounded too good to be true, so I did some research on the person who sent me the email.” She dug her phone out of her pocket and pulled up her notes, showing them the screen. “His name is Dr. David Brinner, and he’s the CEO of this chain of joke shops called ‘the Prankster’s Gambit.’”

“A joke shop!” The chubby woman gasped in delight. “How wonderful!”

The lanky woman smirked at her in amusement before turning her attention back to Aradia. “So you think it’s legit, then?”

“I  _ think  _ so,” Aradia shrugged, stuffing her phone back into her pocket. “Though not quite sure why the CEO of a joke company wants me to check out a haunted house.”

“Maybe he’s gonna make it into another store?” Jake offered. “And he doesn’t want ghosts causing a fuss?”

“Could be! Regardless, I replied to his message a half hour ago. Hopefully he responds soon! I’m ready to explore a haunted house  _ yesterday! _ ” Aradia beamed.

The chubby woman patted Aradia on the shoulder. “Just be careful now, alrighty? Make sure that if you go, you tell everyone where you’re going. I don’t want my dear friend to get chopped up and turned into a meat patty.”

“ _ Lovely  _ imagery, Jane,” Dirk said.

“Oh, if anyone would, it’d be the CEO of a joke shop franchise and you know it!”

The five of them chatted until twilight. Aradia continued to inform Jake in detail on his garden’s status, as well as all the new blockbuster movies that he hadn’t been able to see. Dirk and the lanky girl, Roxy, both seated themselves behind Aradia to braid her hair, since Dirk complained it was getting all over her face and it was driving him nuts. Jane gave Aradia all sorts of advice on how to deal with ghosts of a haunted house; Aradia was pretty sure that half of the advice was just Jane goofing around, but she wrote it down regardless.

When the sun finally was setting Aradia stood up and stretched. 

“Aw, time to leave already?” Jane frowned. Aradia gave her an apologetic grin.

“Sorry, guys. I promised Tav I'd pick up dinner on the way home. Plus, I've got lots more research to do!”

They shared their goodbyes, with Aradia promising that she'd visit once she got back from her first ‘real ghost whispering’ gig, as she put it. 

As she eagerly dashed away, two mismatched braids bouncing off her back, a pair of old ladies watched her from afar.

One of them spoke up, “Should we… is this something we need to report?”

The other shook her head. “She comes down here every so often. So far, she hasn't caused any trouble. I say we just let her do her thing and leave it be.”

A dubious look crossed the first old woman’s face. “Are you sure? Going into the woods and talking to yourself for hours is pretty strange.”

The other woman shrugged. “Weird, sure, but not weird enough to warrant arrest...” She paused. “... but still very odd.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNN
> 
> plot twist: Aradia can see dead people 
> 
> Hope you're enjoying so far!!! Probably going to post up to Chapter 4 tonight, and Chapter 5 will have a lot more fun stuff in store!


	3. Episode 4: Echoes at the English Estate (Part 3)

* * *

 

** Chapter 3 **

_ Episode 4: Echoes at the English Estate  _

_ Pa _ rt  _ 3 _

* * *

 

“Nice braids.”

“Braids? Oh!” Aradia laughed, flustered. “These are days old.”

“You haven't brushed your hair in  _ days _ ?”

Aradia grinned sheepishly. “I haven’t had the time! I’ve been so busy researching Dr. Brinner, and the place he wants me to check out, and the city it’s in, and other sightings of ghost activity in the area, and -”

Karkat put up his hands, silencing her tirade. “Right, got it. But you aren’t getting in my truck without bathing”

“Yes, sir!!” She beamed down at him. “And thank you so much, Karkat. You don’t know just how much this means to me.”

“I’d do dumber shit for money,” he said flatly. Aradia smiled gratefully anyway.

Aradia and Karkat’s relationship had always been… odd. They only really knew each other because their dads were such close friends, and generally speaking Karkat had avoided her like the black plague. To him, she was creepy and weird, and… well, maybe she was. But when their older siblings, Damara and Kankri, started to date, it became a lot harder to avoid the Megido family. There came a point where Karkat realized that Aradia was the only person he could really talk to during those awkward dinners that their family had on a consistent basis. His visceral discomfort in anyone else helped him to find solace in Aradia, though she never quite understood why. Since then, he’d developed something of a begrudging tolerance for Aradia.

Aradia had always held a soft spot for the guy. Sure, he was rude to her, but that was kind of normal for her. Still, Aradia had a feeling that this trip would either make or break their friendship, since it was the longest time the two of them would ever have spent alone together.

Aradia sighed to herself. When she’d first gotten the job offer, Sollux had made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t interested in going, and Tavros was definitely on his side. It would be unfair to ask them to accompany her. This wasn’t the usual romp in the creepy woods that they usually did, it was a commitment that could possibly be very dangerous.

She didn’t feel that same guilt with Karkat. Mostly because she was paying him.

Aradia dropped her bags by the door and headed for the couch. She’d packed her stuff almost immediately after having received the message, even though she wasn’t leaving until tomorrow morning. She would spend the night at Karkat’s place and together they would head out at the crack of dawn. Excitement, as well as a trickle of nervousness, bit at her gut.

_ This  _ has  _ to be the right decision, right? _

“I’m gonna go pack.” Karkat’s voice broke her from her thoughts. “Uh, am I gonna need anything other than a change of clothes?”

“Hm… well, no wifi, so no point in bringing a computer.” Karkat’s grimace went ignored. “Maybe some pillows and blankets? I definitely won’t be sleeping, but Dr. Brinner said that there are beds there… oh!” Aradia sat up suddenly, shooting Karkat a hopeful look.

“This is probably a long shot, but… you wouldn’t happen to have a camera, would you? Like, a good one?”

Karkat stared at her for a few moments. Then, realization dawned on him. “Oh no… this is for your ghost hunting show, isn’t it?”

“Well, ‘hunting’ is a bit violent…” she gave him a teasing grin. “You didn’t think I was going out of town to a haunted house just for  _ fun, _ did you?” 

Karkat flushed in embarrassment. “It sure  _ sounds  _ like something you’d do,” he shook his head. “A camera…  I usually just borrow Sollux’s... wait, he records your show, doesn’t he? Why isn’t that prick coming?”

Aradia shrugged. “He doesn’t want to.”

Karkat scoffed at that. “What an asshole. But, yeah, no. No camera.”

“That’s fine!” Aradia internalized her disappointment. “I’ll just have to use my phone. I can probably get enough good takes to fill an episode!”  _ I hope _ , she added to herself.

“...Alright, if you’re sure. My dads’ll be home in an hour or two, they probably have dinner plans. I’ll be in my room, just shout if you need me.”

“You got it!” Aradia shot him two finger guns. Once he was out of sight, she collapsed on the couch with a huff.

There was a lot riding on this trip: the fate of her show, which was currently nothing more than a miniseries on YouTube with more mocking comments than genuine, her wallet, which was taking a huge hit for paying Karkat for gas, any food they would get, and extra for the favor in the first place...

...and, most of all, her reputation.

Aradia never demanded respect; if you liked her, then she liked you, and she was content. Even though most people never took Aradia seriously, she could live with that. She just wanted to make people happy! She wanted to make them laugh! For most of her life, that’s what Aradia valued more than anything.

When she first told Sollux that she wanted to make a show about ghosts, he laughed before he realized that Aradia  _ meant  _ it. When she told Tavros, he wasn’t sure if she was serious or not. Her friends had always thought that her “talking to ghosts” was a way to cope with her depression in middle school, and until she started her show, she never tried to convince them otherwise. Half of her ‘fans’ laughed at the things Aradia did, at how  _ genuine  _ she was about talking to her ghost friends.

But to Aradia, it was serious. And she was so, so ready to show everyone just how serious she was.

Which meant that Aradia ran the risk of embarrassing herself if this went badly. Karkat would undoubtedly tell Sollux, who’d use this against her in  _ every  _ argument. There was also a chance that he’d post it on the channel, and then…

Aradia groaned. She just wanted to talk to ghosts, not deal with the social pressures of the living.

She needed to relax.

“Karkat, I’m using your shower now!”

“Thank god. Just don’t use all the hot water,” he called back. Aradia forced herself to her feet.

_ You can’t give up now! _

_ You’re young, you’re strong, and you’ve got your whole life in front of you! _

_ Show the world what you’ve got, girl! _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the fourth and final 'main character' is introduced! 
> 
> Things are about to get rolling!!!!!
> 
> And I can't say this enough, this fic would NOT be possible without looneymoon(tumblr.com)'s help in editing this!!!! They're an absolute angel and if you're liking this writing, then you should be thanking them!


	4. Episode 4: Echoes at the English Estate (Part 4)

* * *

 

** Chapter 4 **

_Episode 4: Echoes at the English Estate_

_Part_ _4_

* * *

 

 

“Hey, Aradia?”

Aradia forced herself awake when she felt a hand gently shake her shoulder. After blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she saw one of Karkat’s dads, Spades, leaning in front of her.

“Didn’t want to wake ya, but you’ve got some friends waitin’ outside.”

That made Aradia wake up. Sitting up, she looked at Spades quizzically. “Friends? Who? Why?”

Spades nodded towards the door. “Think it’d be easier if you saw for yourself..”

It took Aradia a few moments to stumble to her feet; she hadn’t slept very well. She was planning to really sleep during some of the day so she’d be wide awake for her night at the haunted house.

_The haunted house_. The thought woke her up a little bit more. A small smile snuck its way to her face.

She gasped in shock when she opened the front door.

“Tav? _Sollux_ ? What are you guys _doing_ here?”

It felt like she was still dreaming. Enveloped in the morning fog were her two roommates, suitcases at their sides. Tavros beamed brightly at her appearance, while Sollux bit his cheek with the same grumpy expression as always.

“We’re a team, Aradia,” Tavros said, looking up at her with sincerity. “And even, uh… even if this is risky… we’ll always have your back.”

Maintaining eye contact with Aradia, he elbowed Sollux roughly on the thigh, who glared at Tavros before sighing and turning towards her..

“Besides, you need a cameraman. And, like, I’m the best there is.” Tavros gave him a pointed look, and he pulled a face. “... and you’re our friend and you’d do the same for us or whatever.”

They both were surprised at the sheer gratitude on her face. She honestly looked as though she were about to cry. In a heartbeat, she flew forward, wrapping both of them in a big hug.

“Thanks, guys.” When she pulled away, she rubbed at her face with both palms. “I… _thank_ you. But you really don’t have t-”

“We _want_ to,” Tavros insisted boldly. His confident expression faltered. “That is… if it’s not t-too late...”

“Of _course_ you guys can come!” Aradia felt unbelievably lucky. They were going out of their way to help her, when they had absolutely _no_ obligation to. Already, she could feel the weight on her shoulders ease.

_They have my back._

“I won’t… I won’t forget this.” Sobs bubbled up in Aradia’s throat; a million emotions were overwhelming her all at once. She forced them down; _now’s not the time_. “I… gosh, I should probably tell Karkat, right?”

“Actually, we were planning on sneaking into his trunk for the drive and surprising him when we get there,” Sollux quipped, and Aradia shoved his arm with a laugh. She bounded back to the front door and swung it wide open.

“Hey, Karkat! Your truck can fit a wheelchair in it, right?”

“FUCKING _WHAT_?” was the response.

\--

After forty-five long minutes of web searches, Karkat angrily grumbling, and Tavros telling everyone “No, no, that’s not - that’s not safe -”, Tavros’s wheelchair was safety secured in the trunk, snug amongst all the luggage. Aradia lifted Tavros into the back seat and she eagerly joined his side; Sollux had called shotgun.

As Karkat said goodbye to his dads, Aradia beamed at her two friends. “I mean it, guys… I owe you. I owe you so, so much.”

Tavros shrugged, hugging the large toy bull that he required on all road trips. “M… maybe so, but really, don’t worry about it. This… this could be fun!”

“Or it could go to hell, in which case, I get ‘I told you so’ privileges for _months_.”

Aradia gave Sollux a mischievous grin, though he wasn’t facing her. “And if _I’m_ right?”

Sollux didn’t respond immediately, and Tavros snorted in laughter.

When Karkat returned to the car, he propped himself in the driver’s seat and faced the three passengers. “Alright, here’s some fucking ground rules. We’re driving _straight_ there -- Aradia, you said there’s a pancake place in the area, right?” After Aradia gave him an affirming nod, he continued. “Right, so we’ll eat when we get there. I don’t want any trash getting in my car. Everyone _says_ they won’t leave trash in my car, but guess what I always fucking find? I find trash in my c-”

“You gonna finish this speech today, KK?” Sollux sneered, and Karkat flipped him off.

“Right, anyways. Sollux, you can be DJ, but you have to use _my_ phone to play music, _and_ you’re on map duty. Aradia, Tavros, your job is to not distract me. I swear to _God_ if anyone screams, I _will_ drive us into a river.”

“H… how old do you think we are, Karkat?” Tavros asked, eyebrows furrowed.

Karkat’s frown deepened. “When you drive kids around all the damn time, you tend to _expect_ that shit. Anyways, I should have enough gas to last us the trip there. Aradia, when we get there-”

“I’ll pay for gas,” Aradia said with an affirming nod. At that, Karkat dropped into his seat -- it absolutely dwarfed him, but Aradia dare not make a comment about it. She’d witnessed the consequences of messing with him in high school. Despite Karkat’s small stature, he had the power and the voice of someone three times his size.

Part of that made her happy that he was coming with them; if it went downhill, it was nice to know that Karkat was on their side.

“Alright, let’s fucking go,” Karkat said, his truck roaring to life. “Sollux, you’ve been staring at my phone for forever, did you pick a fucking song yet?”

“What, between all the _Gwen Stefani_ and _Cyndi Lauper_?” Sollux mocked, earning a glare from Karkat. “Dude, your music sucks.”

“How about you go fuck yourself?” Karkat snapped as he pulled out of the parking lot.

When Sollux finally settled on a 90s pop jam, Aradia rested her head against the window. _Finally,_ they were on their way. In just an hour’s time, they’d be in the small town, and they’d meet Dr. Brinner face to face. Tonight, Aradia would have her _very first_ official ghost talk. Her first _professional gig_.

She was so giddy that it was a miracle she was able to rest at all. However, as Aradia watched the familiar town around her turn to trees off the highway, Will Smith’s soothing raps slowly lulled her to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The gangs all here :'O
> 
> This is the last chapter I'll post to tonight!! With luck, I'll be able to post these chapters in chunks, assuming I keep writing it consistently 
> 
> Next chapter and we'll finally get to the titular "English Estate"
> 
> Editing done by looneymoon @ tumblr!


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